Projectile.



G. DAMER.

PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.3l, 1914.

Rm 1 9 1 qw 2 J d ow P lNl/E/VTOR Geor e Damer GEORGE DAMER, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Application filed Decemberjil, 1914. Serial No. 879,896.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE DAMER, of

' the United States Navy, and a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and Improved Projectile, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved projectile, moreespecially designed for destroying wire entanglements, aerial craft, masts, fighting tops, wireless aerials and like structures, and which is very simple and durable in construction and arranged to permit of firing the projectile from a gun the same as an ordinary projectile and without danger of" injuring the bore of the gun.

In order to accomplish the desired result use is made of a series of raking members pivoted on the body of the shell and adapted to be folded thereon to extend within the peripheral .face of the body, the raking members being adapted to swing into an approximately right angle position relative to the axis of the body, and springs pressing the said raking members when the latter are in folded position to impart an initial opening movement to the raking members on the projectile leaving the muzzle of the gun.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the projectile; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the same;.Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional side elevations of the rear portion of the projectile and showing the successive steps for placing the raking member in i osition on the body; Fig. 5 is a similar view of the rear 7 portion of the projectile and showing one of the raking members in extended position; Fig. 6 is a cross section of the projectile on the line 66 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a similar view of the same on the line 77 of Fig. 2.

The body A of the projectile is of the usual shape and is provided on its peripheral face with a series of longitudinally extending recesses B, in each of which is held a raking member C extending therefrom beyond the point of the body A andadapted to swing outward and rearward into an ap-' proximately right angle position, as indi- I The raking arm cated in Fig. 5. Each of the raking mem bers C is provided at its rear end with an eye C adapted to engage a transverse pivot D forming part of the body A and extending in the enlarged rear portion B of the corresponding recess B. Each raking member C is preferably in the form of a bar of triangular shape in cross section to provide a cutting edge C at its bottom and each bar terminates at its outer end in a hook C body A and consequently of the bore of the gun from which the projectile is fired.

Each of the raking arms C is pressed on near its rear end by a spring E set in a recess B formed in the body A, as plainly indicated in Figs. 2 and 7. When the raking members C are in folded position the springs E are compressed and as soon as the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun then the springs E impart an initial opening movement to the raking members C which by the resistance of the air are now swung into full open or right angle position relative to the body A. The opening movement of the raking members C is limited by the fact that the rear portion 0* of each raking member abuts against the back wall B of the recess B as plainly indicated in Fig.

In practice, each recess B is extended to one side of its longitudinal groove B to permit of conveniently hooking the eye C onto the pivot D and thus move the eye C transversely along the pivot D until the raking member C is in register with the corresponding groove B to allow of swinging the raking member into folded position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A split washer F is then pushed over the portion of the pivot D within the enlarged portion of a recess B to prevent accidental return movement of the eye- C on the pivot D at the time the corresponding raking member is in right angle position. By the arrangement described an accidental detachment of the raking members is not liable to occur.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the projectile is fired from the gun the raking arms C swing into right angle position relative to the axis of the body A so thatthe cutting edges C of the raking members readily cut through wire entanglements, shells of balloons and the like, and the hooks C readily hook onto the sur- C when in folded position extends within the peripheral face of the 'are very simple and durable in construction and especially serviceable for use on projectiles up to, say, six inches in diameter. Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A projectile, comprising a body provided in its peripheral face with longitudinal grooves extending from a short distance from its base and throughout the remainder of the length of the body, and with radial recesses leading to the bottoms of the grooves, a transverse pivot on the body at the rear end of each groove, a raking arm fitting in each groove and provided at its rear end with an open eye engaging said pivot, the said raking arms being of a length approximately double the length of the projectile and each formed of a single each recess to press against the underside v of the corresponding raking arm held folded in its recess. I

. 2. The combination with a projectile having longitudinal grooves and recesses extending laterally from one end of the grooves, a pivot in the grooves and extending into the recess, a raking arm having an open'eye at one end engaging the pivot, the eye being adapted to be engaged with the pivot in the recess and then moved onto the portion of the pivot in the groove, and means for holding the arm in the position to which it has been moved.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE DAMER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM C. LEMME, FLEET W. Column. 

